Housefull 5: A Comedic Journey on a Luxury Cruise
Overview of Housefull 5
The inaugural film of the Housefull series debuted in 2010, and while the cast has matured, the humor remains juvenile. The film features a plethora of crude jokes, with frequent peeks at cleavage and accidental crotch hits. Homophobic humor is also sprinkled throughout, and the female characters are often clad in revealing outfits, catering to immature fantasies.
Despite being labeled as a successful comedy franchise, only the most devoted fans might recall the details of the previous four installments, aside from the consistent appearances of Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Chunky Panday, and Johny Lever. The roles of villains and love interests often blend together.
Directed by Tarun Mansukhani and penned by producer Sajid Nadiadwala, Housefull 5 kicks off with a murder mystery. This installment adopts a whodunit style reminiscent of Knives Out, infused with crude humor and a carefree attitude, as numerous characters appear for dance sequences before disappearing from the luxury cruise setting.
The cruise ship, named Aiee, is linked to the villainy of Ranjit, who portrays a centenarian that passes away, leaving his wealth to his son from his first marriage. Meanwhile, Dev (Fardeen Khan), the son from his second marriage, harbors resentment.
Shreyas Talpade, Chitrangda Singh, and Dino Morea join as board members, expanding the list of suspects. Nikitin Dheer plays the ship's captain, while Soundarya portrays a lawyer who is depicted in a suggestive manner. Chunky Panday takes on the role of the cook, and Johny Lever plays the security officer. To add to the chaos, three characters named Jolly, played by Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and Abhishek Bachchan, arrive with their fake partners, including Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, and Nargis Fakhri.
As another body is found, the police are called in, leading to the arrival of Bhidu and Baba (Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff), who have been suspended from their roles in the London police. Nana Patekar also makes an appearance in traditional attire.
The film features two endings, but the resolution is straightforward. The plot is too thin for a runtime of 165 minutes, leading to comedic moments such as a kitchen brawl involving a talkative parakeet, a character from a previous film.
Julius finds himself in a comical altercation with two monkeys, and the trio of Jollys engages in the classic gag of pretending a corpse is alive.
When the humor begins to feel stale, musical numbers are introduced, with catchy tunes enhancing the experience. The film culminates in a climactic scene reminiscent of Priyadarshan's style.
Housefull 5 is slightly more refined and less vulgar than its predecessors directed by Sajid Khan, with some genuinely funny moments.
Riteish Deshmukh shines with a recurring gag where he speaks about two topics simultaneously. While Akshay Kumar once excelled at this, his current performance shows signs of strain. The franchise's formula appears to be wearing thin, yet it seems determined to continue.